ARLINGTON, Texas — It’s pretty simple with the Mets these days. Either their starting pitcher hurls a gem and gives them a chance, or you get last night: A snoozefest with few, if any, redeeming qualities.
Mike Pelfrey served up an early meatball to the Rangers’ Adrian Beltre, and the fans here might as well have churned out a chorus of “Deep in the Heart of Texas” and taken a nap until the postgame fireworks. The Mets never put up anything resembling a battle, losing 8-1 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Matt Harrison (6-6) limited the Mets to one run on seven hits over seven innings. The left-hander allowed only one extra-base hit — a double to Ronny Paulino in the fifth — and walked one in winning his first game since May 28.
Mets reliever Manny Acosta dumped a can of kerosene on the fire by surrendering a two-run homer to Michael Young in the seventh and a two-run bomb to Josh Hamilton in the eighth, turning the game into a runaway. Beltre’s homer against Pelfrey in the first inning was also a two-run blast.
“You are going to give up some home runs in this park to that lineup,” manager Terry Collins said. “If they are solo homers, you can get through that, but the multiple-run homers are tough to deal with, especially when we don’t hit the ball out of the ballpark very much.”
Pelfrey (4-6) managed to keep the Mets in the game after a rough first inning, but allowed four earned runs on eight hits over six innings. The righty was coming off his best start of the season, a complete-game victory over the Angels in which he allowed one run.
“My fastball command early, and even late, wasn’t very good,” Pelfrey said. “I had a good slider today — that’s what ended up ultimately saving the outing. I made some mistakes and they hit them.”
Collins spoke before the game of the importance of this stretch — 13 road games in 17 days heading into the All-Star break — and the need for the Mets (37-39) to stay afloat until David Wright presumably returns in mid-July from a stress fracture in his back. Last night only underscored how much the team needs a big bat.
Jason Bay went 3-for-4 to continue his recent surge in batting average — he’s up to .241 after nearly falling below the Mendoza Line earlier in the month — but all three of his hits were singles. Scott Hairston, inserted as the designated hitter to give the Mets some right-handed pop, went 0-for-3.
Though Bay has only three homers in 187 at-bats this season, Collins said he’ll gladly take singles from his left fielder.
“If we get people on ahead of him, he’ll drive in runs,” Collins said. “If Jason Bay can get me three or four hits [today], I’ll like our chances.”
Pelfrey was in trouble from the start. Ian Kinsler doubled leading off the first inning for Texas and scored two batters later on Hamilton’s RBI single. But the big hit in the inning was Beltre’s two-run homer that gave the Rangers a 3-0 lead. The homer was the 14th allowed this season by Pelfrey.
“The rate I’m giving up home runs, anywhere we go I’ve got to keep the ball in the park,” Pelfrey said. “I just didn’t make pitches early and they made me pay for them.”